Mike Nadel: No thorns in Derrick Rose debut with Bulls

Derrick Rose has such passion for basketball, such desire for victory and such appreciation for where he is and how he got here, it's almost as fun listening to him talk as it is watching him play.

Mike Nadel

Derrick Rose has such passion for basketball, such desire for victory and such appreciation for where he is and how he got here, it's almost as fun listening to him talk as it is watching him play.

Almost.

The kid is special. We were pretty sure of that the day the Chicago Bulls lucked out in the NBA draft lottery and got the No. 1 pick, and nothing we saw in Rose's 11-point, 9-assist pro debut Tuesday night made us feel any differently.

Less than five minutes into the season-opening 108-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, Rose stole Richard Jefferson's pass and fed Luol Deng for a thunderous dunk that brought 21,000 fans to their feet.

Get used to it, folks. Bulls fans figure to be standing and cheering Derrick Rose for many years.

"His ability to make plays, to penetrate and create for everybody makes him unique," Deng said. "A lot of times, when guys come into this league, they struggle with how fast the game is. But he's already faster than the game."

It's scary to think how good Rose will be eventually. Like, you know, when he's an old man of 21.

Asked before the game if he could compare the feeling of anticipation to any other time in his career, Rose said: "I can't. It's a whole 'nother feeling knowing that you finally made it."

Finally? He just turned 20 on Oct. 4. A year and a half ago, he was a senior at Simeon High School, a youngster trying to survive Chicago's rough Englewood neighborhood, literally a kid with a dream.

"Yeah, it came soon, but it feels like it took forever," Rose said, showing a wistful maturity rare for his age. "I went through high school just wishing I was older so that I could have an opportunity to make it into the NBA. Now that I'm here ... I have a chance to play for my home team, so that makes it even better."

Rose led Memphis to the NCAA title game in his one college season, but he's all Chicago all the time.

He received the Michael Jordan treatment before the opening tip, when he was honored as the final Bull introduced: "From Chicago! Six-three guard! Number 1! Der-rick Rose!" The sellout crowd -- which included 25-plus family members and close friends -- went wild.

"I haven't even answered my phone," he had said a few minutes earlier. "I know if I answer it, I'll have to turn some people down (for tickets)."

The unfortunate absentees missed quite a show by arguably the most exciting player to wear a Bulls uniform since Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were dominating the NBA. (That's right: Derrick Rose is even more exciting than Kornel David and Lonny Baxter.)

Just eight seconds in, Rose threw a bad pass that led to a basket by Michael Redd. But he quickly atoned, registering his first assist on a jumper by Drew Gooden. After that, it seemed almost too easy.

It took less than two minutes for Rose to get away with traveling for the first time -- such instant respect from the refs is the ultimate portent of NBA stardom.

That was just the beginning of the Derrick Rose Highlight Reel: a steal of Charlie Villanueva's casual pass followed by a two-handed dunk ... a driving layup against Luke Ridnour, resulting in a 3-point play ... a spectacular alley-oop connection with Tyrus Thomas.

The latter play demonstrated Rose's innate court awareness. He got the ball after a steal, lured a defender, switched hands and tossed a perfect underhanded pass to Thomas for a dunk.

Ultimately, Rose will have to prove he can shoot, but he stood out Tuesday despite making only three baskets. One couldn't help but think of Jason Kidd.

Now, I've spent a lot of time gushing about Derrick Rose, but we all know the things that can undermine a potentially great career.

Will Rose maintain his unique combination of humility and confidence? Will a 190-pound guard who drives the lane stay healthy? Will the Bulls surround him with enough good players? Will neophyte coach Vinny Del Negro know how to push his buttons? Will Rose be able to brush aside the leeches who want a piece of him (and his money).

Rose went 120-12 with two state titles at Simeon and 38-2 at Memphis. That's 14 losses in five years. Last season's disappointing Bulls had 16 losses by Christmas Eve, when coach Scott Skiles was fired. Will Rose be able to avoid frustration during the inevitable losing streaks?

It says here that, over time, Rose will provide the right answers to all of those questions -- and that he'll be a blast to watch along the way.